Confessions of a Mompreneur

Confessions of a Mompreneur

What exactly is a mompreneur? At first glance, she’s a mother who also happens to be an entrepreneur. She runs a family and she runs a business.

Wait…

She raises a family and runs a business.

Hold on…

She at times runs a business and raises her family, and other times feels like she’s running around like a chicken with it’s head cut off.

Ah, that’s more like it.

So how is a mompreneur different from a regular entrepreneur?

I mean, she still goes through the ups and downs of creating and running a business she is passionate about. She still has to deal with deadlines and mundane tasks. She has to balance taking care of herself and taking care of business like any other entrepreneur.

On the outside she may seem put together, smart and competent at her craft. She’s probably doing things that make other people wonder if she secretly has an IV full of coffee at her bedside.

She can juggle many different projects in one hand while doing elementary school algebra in the other hand while simultaneously surfing Pinterest for gluten-free recipes with her big toe.

WARNING: This level of awesomeness might cause people to take a second glance and wonder how she does it all.

People have indeed asked me that very question many MANY times. “Dija, how in the world do you surf Pinterest with your big toe?” And my answer is always very simple: “Not after I take my melatonin for the night.”

Confessions of a Mompreneur:

But seriously, behind my perfectly shaped eyebrows…
[Confession: I can’t remember the last time I plucked them]

trendy fashion style…
[Confession: I do the sniff test and if it passes I wear it]

manicured nails…
[Confession: short and sweet is the only thing practical for my life right now]

and keeping my kids so busy with educational activities that they never watch TV.
[Decoy Confession: They have on occasion watched TV while I check emails…..Real Confession: They’ve watched a movie and then played 2 hours of video games while I finished editing a video for Youtube.]

Underneath all of this awesomeness lies a real woman who has insecurities, days of comparison, and longs for days when her stomach doesn’t remind her of a deflated souffle.
[Confession: I can’t believe I just shared that.]

I’m a creative lifestyle blogger, actor and filmmaker. I work every day to share a message of inspiration to those who need some encouragement to follow their dreams.

But I struggle as well, just like you.

I struggle with more than what you see on the outside. There’s the struggle of knowing if I’m making the right choices in my business or if I really have what it takes to be successful. And the struggle of not making the best dinners, a messy house, and sometimes not fitting in. What I dream of doing with my life and my business seems so much bigger than me at times.

And then when I can’t take anymore of feeling inadequate I find myself at the end of myself. No more ideas, no more plans, no more creative juice.

And He is there.

My heavenly Father. The one who created me in His image. The One, who in His gracious love, created a plan for my life.

[tweet_box inject=”@gritandvirtue_ #gritandvirtue” design=”box_6″]When I’m done trying to write my own story and forge my own path He gently guides me into quiet restoration by His waters.[/tweet_box]

When I’m done trying to write my own story and forge my own path He gently guides me into quiet restoration by His waters. There I can be filled back up so I can love my family better than before.

He is there to hear the true confession of my heart.

My true Confession: God, I need you. I need your strength. I need your direction. I need your guidance so I don’t follow the flashy lights, and the false promises, and the empty hope of perfection. Today I lost my temper because I was stressed. I stood you up for our devotional date because I got caught up on social media. I’m afraid of putting my work out there for the world to see.

Ah Freedom.

My advice to beginning mompreneurs:

Remember that what you are learning as a mom is preparing you for your business as well.

Do not take lightly learning how to help your children get along because one day you will be building your team.

Enjoyed it? Share it!

Dija lives in Indiana with her husband and three children. She is an actor and filmmaker, and blogs at The Inspired Cafe to encourage creatives to pursue their passion with confidence and make a difference in the world. Confession: She has a dream to travel the world with her family, make a superhero movie, and finish decorating her new house before Christmas.

13 Comments

Dija, you are too funny! Love to see your personality shine through in this post. I’m not a mother yet, but I could only imagine the all that mothers that are in business have to juggle. It’s inspiring to know that it’s still very much possible to have a family, and still pursue what’s in your heart. Thanks for sharing!

Yes YES! You can pursue it while being a mother. In fact, I think I’m a happier parent…and a better me when I remain creative. Now my kids are involved with what I do and it’s a wonderful thing. Maybe you have to go a little slower on projects after motherhood but there are wonderful lessons in learning to pause as well. Do you have a business now?

Ah, let the truth set you free! I can relate/commiserate on everything from the short nails, to the 2nd episode of Sesame Street that allowed me to meet that deadline, to the deflated souffle that I know see in the mirror… Thanks for your honesty! 🙂

I’m so glad that you can relate! It seems like it’s never ending but in the end it’s so rewarding. I used to worry about being honest in the struggle but I’ve definitely found freedom in it now. (Confession: That too is a never ending process!)

Soooo I’m not the only one!!! Time management and I have a very strange relationship…wait, let be honest, we don’t get along very well. I never know when my devotional time will take longer than planned or if I’ll miss it because I couldn’t wake up early enough. Then there’s that mother/daughter time – I confess it doesn’t happen as long or as often as it should. I struggle with this and so much more but I’m working on it as He works on me. Thank you for this!

You are so welcome! And I SO understand. When my kids were younger I really embraced the idea presented in the bible to pray without ceasing. I prayed through dishes, and laundry and vacuuming. I tried to stay connected all day because when the kids are younger it’s hard to carve out time. I remember even sitting my daughter in my lap while I kneeled by my bed to pray! lol!

I am have too much on my mind and find myself just sitting in front of my computer staring into nothing. My son is a crazy active toddler and I (sometimes) await the amazing thing called nap time to start working. But then when I get the time I just sit. When I do get started on something I’m great, it’s just deciding what to do and the starting part.

@leonamorelock:disqus I totally feel you on the way too much on my mind thing. Have you tried to spend time planning what you will do when you have the larger chunk of free time? I have this notebook (several really) that I keep my ideas in so that when I have time I know what to get started on. That’s truly TRULY half the battle! I mean when my mother in law would take the kids I would take the first hour just to decompress and dance around the house like a maniac celebrating free time! Then I would only be left with 2 hours before I had to get them and start freakin’ out because I only had two hours. So then I would spend another hour cleaning trying to get something to pop into my brain and then spend another 30 minutes freakin’ out which would leave me only 1 hour to do anything. You see the dilemma? lol! So learned to plan for those chunks of time when I had smaller chunks of time by brain dumping ideas. OOH I hope this little rant helped you in some way!!! Please let me know!!